ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: date · safe · pitch · press · bat · jam · chair · wind

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. press — to push
  3. pitch — completely
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. wind — moving air
  6. chair — a leader
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. press — a publisher
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. press — newspapers
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. wind — moving air
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bat — the animal
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com